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Keys from the Golden Vault

AdventureKftGV2014

Contents

  1. 1Introduction–A Collection of Heists
  2. 2The Murkmire Malevolence
  3. 3The Stygian Gambit
  4. 4Reach for the Stars
  5. 5Prisoner 13
  6. 6Tockworth's Clockworks
  7. 7Masterpiece Imbroglio
  8. 8Axe from the Grave
  9. 9Vidorant's Vault
  10. 10Shard of the Accursed
  11. 11Heart of Ashes
  12. 12Affair on the Concordant Express
  13. 13Party at Paliset Hall
  14. 14Fire and Darkness
  15. 15Credits
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Heart of Ashes

An Adventure for 8th-Level Characters

Ghalasine is under a terrible curse. An evil spellcaster has enacted a ritual to siphon life from the city's people and reduce the city itself to ash. Powering the ritual is the heart of Ghalasine's vanquished leader, King Jhaeros Astolko. In this adventure, the characters must infiltrate Castle Cinis and recover the king's heart to end the ritual, thereby saving Ghalasine.

[image: The city of Ghalasine lies in ruins, but it's not too late to undo the damage and set things right]

Adventure Background

Known for its exquisite glasswork, Ghalasine was a prosperous city ruled by King Jhaeros Astolko. Governing from Castle Cinis, Jhaeros was advised by two councilors, Regine LaVerne and Charmayne Daymore, and a guard captain named Naevys Tharesso. Jhaeros's rule was compassionate, just, and kind. Over the last year, however, Naevys watched with growing concern as Jhaeros became more withdrawn and secretive, closing Ghalasine to trade and failing to honor his alliances.

A powerful spellcaster, Charmayne had become jealous of the king's passion and warmth. Longing to possess those qualities, she painstakingly created rituals to drain Jhaeros's vitality and charm, and to funnel these qualities into herself. However, the magic only enhanced her greed and jealousy; the more she took from Jhaeros, the hungrier for power Charmayne became, going so far as to murder her fellow councilor, Regine, while she slept.

Unaware of Charmayne's magical hold over the king but afraid for his well-being, Naevys sought the counsel of a mage's guild in a neighboring city. With the help of scrying spells, the mages gleaned the truth and revealed Charmayne's treachery to Naevys. The loyal captain returned to Ghalasine at once but found herself unable to enter the city. Charmayne had anticipated Naevys's return and prepared accordingly by invoking a powerful ward that prevents anyone born in Ghalasine from entering or leaving the city.

As she came to realize the people of Ghalasine didn't love her as they did the king, Charmayne became filled with rage. She used magic to tear out Jhaeros's heart while keeping it alive. She then used the still-beating heart as the focus of a ritual to destroy Ghalasine. A spherical void appeared in the sky above Castle Cinis, causing the city to slowly turn to ash and drawing the souls of the dead into it. The longer the void persists, the more quickly the city deteriorates.

Jhaeros has been transformed into a heartless puppet under Charmayne's command. It's up to the characters to steal the king's heart, thereby ending Charmayne's ritual. If the characters are successful, all the damage wrought by Charmayne's magic will be undone, restoring Ghalasine and its king to their former glory. If they fail, the city will be destroyed, and Charmayne's treason will be complete.

Using the Golden Vault

If you're using the Golden Vault as a patron, a golden key is delivered to the characters in whatever manner you deem fit. When the characters use this key to open their music box, the lid pops open and a soothing voice says the following:

Closing the music box causes the golden key to vanish.

Heart of the Matter

Naevys (lawful good, elf knight equipped with a flame tongue longsword) approaches the characters with important business from Ghalasine. Her bronze-and-red armor gleams in tones that reflect her braided red-brown hair, and her skin is freckled. She is friendly toward the characters and asks to speak with them privately:

Naevys assures the characters that Charmayne's ritual affects only people from Ghalasine; outsiders can safely enter the city. She asks the characters to steal Jhaeros's heart and deliver it to her outside the city, thereby thwarting Charmayne's ritual.

Naevys provides the following additional information, which she learned with the help of mages in a nearby city:

  • Ashen Defenders. Castle Cinis is guarded by ashen creatures that used to be the king's guards. The king's dogs, Cinnabar and Sol, have become hell hounds that wander the castle's interior.
  • Charmayne's Location. Charmayne spends most of her time in the mage tower (x).
  • Consuming Void. A spherical void has formed high above the castle. The souls of the dead and the ashes of the city are being drawn into it. Most people in the city have already died.

Regine LaVerne. Naevys doesn't know what happened to the king's other councilor, Regine.

  • Reversing the Ritual. According to the mages with whom Naevys consulted, Charmayne's ritual can be reversed and Ghalasine restored to its former glory by removing Jhaeros's still-beating heart from the city. This might be the only way to repair the damage Charmayne has wrought and restore the lives of those who died because of the ritual.
  • Saving the King's Heart. Simply destroying Jhaeros's heart would end the ritual without reversing the damage it has caused or undoing the terrible loss of life. Moreover, Naevys believes Jhaeros will almost certainly die if his heart stops beating.

Naevys is loath to discuss rewards until Ghalasine is either saved or lost, but if the characters press her for a reward, she promises to "drown them in gold coins" if they are successful. (In fact, the possible rewards are much greater than that, as discussed in the adventure's x.)

Planning the Heist

Naevys has sketched a rough map of Castle Cinis for the characters. Give players a copy of map 10.1 for reference. Naevys believes Jhaeros's heart is in a secret room on the second floor that can be accessed from the king's bedroom, and she is correct, but she doesn't know that the magic of Charmayne's ritual has altered the castle's layout.

[image: Map 10.1: Players' Map]

Getting Inside

If the characters ask Naevys for advice on how to enter the castle, she suggests the following:

Charcoal Figurines

With the help of scrying magic, the mages with whom Naevys consulted obtained the following additional information, which Naevys passes along to the characters just before they set out for Castle Cinis:

See x for more information about the charcoal figurines.

Castle Cinis

Starting at the edge of the city, it takes the characters 1 hour on foot to reach Castle Cinis. The city around them is grim and desolate. Its buildings are slowly turning to cinders, with clouds of ash rising toward the black, spherical void that looms above Castle Cinis.

The characters have no encounters on their way to the castle. When they arrive at the castle, read or paraphrase the following:

The characters can count a total of ten guards, all of whom are ashen veterans (see the "x" sidebar). Two guards flank the door to x, and the remaining eight guards patrol the grounds in two groups of four.

Characters who spend a few minutes studying the guards' movements gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to approach the castle unseen.

If the guards at the entrance or the guards on patrol spot the characters, one of them blows a horn to summon the other guards, who arrive 1d4 rounds later.

Castle Features

Castle Cinis has the following features:

  • Ceilings. Ceilings in the castle are 20 feet high and covered with ash (see "Tug of the Void" below).
  • Light. Each room in Castle Cinis is brightly lit by one or more torches, or by sunlight during the day if the room lacks a ceiling.
  • Tug of the Void. Objects in the castle that weigh 10 pounds or less and aren't being worn, carried, or held in place tend to drift in the direction of the void at a rate of about 1 foot per minute. (For more information about the void, see "x" section later in the adventure.)
  • Weakened Floors and Walls. The walls and floors on the second floor (areas x–x) and the floating areas (areas x–x) have been weakened by magic, such that each 5-foot-square section of floor or wall in these areas has AC 13 and 4 hit points. Reducing any such area to 0 hit points causes it to crumble away.
  • Windows. Unless the text states otherwise, all windows are latched shut from the inside. As an action, a character can use thieves' tools to try to unlatch a window from the outside, doing so with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check. Shattering a window is easy enough, but unless the sound is silenced by magic, all guards within 60 feet of the breaking window investigate.

Castle Cinis Locations

The following locations are keyed to map 10.2.

S1: Entry Hall

Characters can cross this hall safely if they are wearing the uniforms of castle guards. Otherwise, any attempt by them to cross the hall causes magical flames to fill three of the suits of armor, which spring to life as three helmed horrors. These helmed horrors also animate if anyone touches one of the suits of armor. The helmed horrors' Spell Immunity trait grants them immunity to burning hands, fireball, and scorching ray spells.

As a bonus action on its first turn in combat, each helmed horror drops its glass lance (which shatters on the floor) and conjures a longsword-sized blade of fire, which appears in its free hand. The helmed horror deals fire damage instead of slashing damage with its fiery sword, which disappears in a cloud of smoke when the helmed horror drops to 0 hit points.

S2: Hallway

The northernmost wall of this L-shaped hallway turned to ash as the armory (x) tore itself free of the castle, leaving a gaping hole.

Guards

Three ashen veterans (see the "x" sidebar) guard this hall and are hostile toward interlopers. They are positioned as follows:

  • One guard stands in front of the doors to x.
  • One guard stands in front of the doors to x.
  • One guard stands next to the door to x.

S3: Dining Hall

The goblets still have trace amounts of wine in them, and a few breadcrumbs and greasy streaks dirty the plates.

S4: Kitchen

The door to the kitchen hangs open.

The hounds were once Jhaeros's beloved dogs, Cinnabar and Sol, now transformed into hell hounds. The hounds' names are written on their collars in Common. They obey only King Jhaeros, and they transform back into friendly mastiffs if the effects of Charmayne's ritual are undone.

If the characters stay out of the kitchen and leave the hounds alone, Cinnabar and Sol ignore them and continue feeding on the cook and dishwasher they incinerated with their breath weapons. The hounds attack characters who approach or harm them.

Eating the Food

Characters who search the kitchen can find plenty of food, all of which tastes like ash until the effects of Charmayne's ritual are undone.

S5: Library

All the library's books have been destroyed.

Secret Door and Bridge. A secret door is hidden in the east wall behind a bookshelf, and any character who searches the wall for secret doors finds it automatically. The secret door can be pulled open to reveal part of a stone bridge that used to connect to the mage tower (x). The bridge ends abruptly after 5 feet, as the tower has since risen 20 feet into the air and is now at the same level as the castle's second floor.

S6: Art Gallery

Through the hole in the north wall, the characters can see x (elevated 40 feet in the air) and areas x–x (elevated 20 feet in the air). Both structures used to be attached to the gallery's north wall, but they have drifted outward about 10 feet as well as upward.

Charcoal Figurines

The six figurines are floating because they are subject to the tug of the void (see "x"). The figurines are shaped like tiny humans but lack fine features to distinguish them from one another. A detect magic spell reveals a dim aura of necromantic magic around each one. Each figurine represents someone who was killed by Charmayne. Five of the victims were guards or nobles who tried to defend Jhaeros and Regine; the sixth was Regine herself.

A character who holds a figurine experiences a flash of emotion like that felt by the victim in their final moments and, in a couple cases, a vision of Charmayne as seen by the victim:

Figurine 1 is full of terror. A momentary vision shows Charmayne (an auburn-haired woman in a scarlet robe) casting a fiery spell.

Figurine 2 holds the dying fear of someone fixated on a person they're leaving behind.

Figurine 3 seethes with anger and a craving for justice. A momentary vision shows Charmayne using magic to engulf the victim in fire.

Figurine 4 is sorrowful and filled with regret from a life that ended too soon.

Figurine 5 is full of undying loyalty to the king.

Figurine 6 exudes denial and refuses to accept what is happening.

After holding a figurine and experiencing the emotion bound within it, a character can make a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check. On a successful check, the character realizes that the psychic power contained in each figurine can be turned against Charmayne. Specifically, each figurine can be used as a spellcasting focus once before it turns to ash. When used as the focus for a spell that targets Charmayne and requires a saving throw, Charmayne not only has disadvantage on her save but also takes 16 (3d10) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

S7: Stone Staircase

This 40-foot-high, spiral staircase connects x on the first floor and x on the second floor.

The stone tower that contains the staircase no longer has a roof over it; the conical rooftop turned to ash and was sucked into the void above the castle, leaving the top of the staircase open to the sky.

S8: Upper Hallway

This wide hallway wraps around x. The northernmost stretch of the hallway is missing an entire wall, which turned to ash and was sucked into the void above the castle.

Guards

Four ashen veterans (see the "x" sidebar) guard the hall and are hostile toward interlopers. They are positioned as follows:

  • Three guards stand outside the doors to x—one to the north, one to the west, and one to the south.
  • One guard stands next to the door leading to x.

S9: Parlor

Charmayne trapped a drow diplomat named Jalynvyr Nir'Thinn in the fireplace, from which he can't escape until Charmayne's ritual is undone. While trapped in the fireplace, Jalynvyr manifests as a smoke mephit that speaks Common and Elvish instead of Auran and Ignan. The mephit is restrained, and this condition can't be ended on it so long as Jalynvyr remains trapped. If the mephit is reduced to 0 hit points, Jalynvyr dies as the mephit's smoky form disperses.

Jalynvyr was a guest at the castle, learned of Charmayne's plans, and threatened to tell King Jhaeros. Charmayne lured him here under false pretenses so she could trap him in the fireplace. He's willing to share what he knows with anyone who vows to unravel Charmayne's evil plans:

  • Gift for the King. "I delivered a flame tongue longsword to King Jhaeros, who then bequeathed it to his most loyal captain, Naevys, as thanks for her years of faithful service. Charmayne was furious that Jhaeros wasted coin on a sword for Naevys, but then, she was always distracted by one petty jealousy or another."
  • Heart of Ghalasine. "After trapping me in the fireplace, Charmayne bragged that Jhaeros himself would destroy Ghalasine. 'The heart of Ghalasine has always been its king,' she told me, 'so it's fitting that the heart of the king is the key to Ghalasine's demise.'"

If King Jhaeros's heart is taken from the city of Ghalasine or if Charmayne is killed, Jalynvyr reverts to his true form (that of a lawful neutral, drow mage) and is no longer restrained by the fireplace. The next time he encounters the characters, he gives them one or more potions or spell scrolls as gifts for saving his life.

S10: Naevys's Bedroom

The wardrobe holds spare uniforms and outfits.

Treasure

The statuette on the nightstand depicts a pillar of flame, weighs 12 pounds, and is worth 250 gp. Naevys would not approve of its theft.

S11: Regine's Bedroom

Charmayne used magic to kill Regine while she was asleep in her bed, though no evidence of Regine can be found here.

Window

The window on the east wall is covered with soot on the inside but still intact. It's a 10-foot leap from the windowsill to the floating mage tower (x).

S12: Charmayne's Bedroom

Two elementals made of swirling ash and smoke (use the air elemental stat block) materialize and attack characters who enter this room. The elementals use their Whirlwind action to hurl characters through the castle's weakened walls (see "General Features" earlier in the adventure). It's a 20-foot drop to the ground from there.

The Match Thief

Resting on a nightstand next to Charmayne's bed is a thin, illustrated fairytale book titled The Match Thief, which is written in verse:

Charmayne drew upon this tale for inspiration while plotting the downfall of Ghalasine. The poem tells of a mischievous fey, Whit, who captures human emotions and traps them in matches. He experiences each emotion when he strikes a match. He lives a vibrant life, but the world around him grows dull and gray as he traps more and more of it. Soon he has a single match: one filled with sorrow. Whit must choose whether to return the emotion to a dull and empty world or to feel one last thing.

S13: Royal Gallery

This gallery is filled with objects King Jhaeros acquired throughout his youth and adult life. The four guards stationed in area S8 investigate any loud noises here.

Treasure

Among the many items on display is a +1 battleaxe Jhaeros wielded in his youth.

S14: Mage Tower

This tower used to be connected to the library (x) by a slender stone bridge. It now floats 20 feet off the ground, 10 feet from the window of x.

When the characters enter the tower, read or paraphrase the following:

Charmayne Daymore (see her stat block at the end of the adventure) is beyond redemption and doesn't shy away from a fight. When she drops to 0 hit points, she dies as her body crumbles to ash. She leaves behind her scarlet gown and a potion of clairvoyance.

The soul of any character killed by Charmayne becomes trapped in the void that hovers over Castle Cinis (see "x" later in the adventure).

[image: A daring adventurer leaps to a floating tower that has detached from Castle Cinis]

S15: King's Armory

The first-floor armory is suspended 40 feet in the air, with nothing but the ground below it. The characters need magic or climbing gear to reach it. The northeast wall of the armory is gone, creating an opening through which the characters may enter.

As soon as one or more characters set foot in the armory, two suits of armor come to life as ashen suits of animated armor, and four swords transform into ashen flying swords (see the "x" sidebar). These creatures fight until destroyed.

Treasure

Characters who search the armory find a +1 shield, eight +1 arrows, and two vials that each contain one use of oil of sharpness. All other equipment in the armory turns to ash when handled.

S16: King's Bedroom

This location floats 20 feet in the air, with nothing but the ground below it. The characters need magic or climbing gear to reach it. Most of the room's south wall is gone, leaving a wide gap through which characters can enter.

Secret Door

Any character who searches the east wall for a secret door finds one that leads to area S17.

S17: Heart of Jhaeros

This location is open to the sky. This room used to have a study below it, with a staircase connecting them. The study is gone, but the upper half of the staircase remains.

The following description assumes the characters enter through the secret door in the west wall:

[image: King Jhaeros]

King Jhaeros is hostile and uses the clay golem stat block, with these changes:

  • Replace the Acid Absorption trait with Fire Absorption. (All mentions of acid damage change to fire damage.)
  • In this form, Jhaeros has Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores of 10.
  • When Jhaeros drops to 0 hit points, he explodes in a harmless cloud of ashes, leaving nothing else behind.

Jhaeros won't leave this room except to chase after a character who has his heart (see below). Even then, he can't leave Ghalasine.

Heart of the King

King Jhaeros guards his heart, which is hidden in a cavity under the floor. The cavity, which is just big enough to contain the heart, is covered by a 2-foot-square stone tile. Characters within 5 feet of the tile can hear the heart beating.

As an action, a character in the middle of the room can try to lift the stone tile, doing so with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. The check is made with advantage if the character uses a crowbar or similar tool. The heart can then be removed from the cavity under the tile.

Any character who touches the heart must make on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. After taking this damage, the character can handle the heart safely.

The heart is twice the size of an adult human's heart. It is a Tiny object with AC 10, 5 hit points, and immunity to psychic damage. If the heart is reduced to 0 hit points, the following things happen:

  • The Heart Dies. The heart stops beating and dies.
  • Jhaeros Dies. Jhaeros in his golem-like form loses 20 hit points at the start of each of his turns.
  • The Void Collapses. The void above Castle Cinis collapses, freeing all the souls trapped within it. These souls then travel to the afterlife.
  • The Castle Falls. One minute after the heart dies and the void collapses, the floating pieces of Castle Cinis (areas x–x) fall to the ground and are destroyed. Creatures inside or underneath these areas when they fall take 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone.

Fleeing with the Heart

If the characters had a relatively easy time getting their hands on Jhaeros's heart, use the following encounter to complicate their escape.

Two ashen knights mounted on ashen warhorses (see the "x" sidebar) catch up to the characters as they make their way through the dead city of Ghalasine toward their rendezvous with Naevys. While the characters battle the knights, two ashen shambling mounds take shape and join the fray against the heroes.

Once these forces are defeated, the characters can conclude their business with Naevys.

The Void

The void above Castle Cinis is slowly consuming Ghalasine. If a creature dies in Ghalasine, the creature's soul (if it has one) becomes trapped in the void until the void collapses or the creature is raised from the dead by magic. The void already contains the souls of all those Charmayne killed, including King Jhaeros.

Characters would be wise to keep their distance from the void. Any creature that enters the void or starts its turn there takes 70 (20d6) necrotic damage. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, the creature, along with any nonmagical equipment it is wearing or carrying, turns to ash, and its soul becomes trapped in the void. Magic items that end up in the void remain trapped in it until the void is destroyed (see "Conclusion").

Conclusion

If Jhaeros's still-beating heart is delivered to Naevys outside the city, it disappears in her hands. When the heart vanishes, the following things happen:

  • Charmayne Dies. Charmayne collapses, dies, and turns to ash.
  • The Void Collapses. The void above Castle Cinis collapses, freeing all the souls trapped within it. Everyone whose soul was trapped inside the void is restored to life with all their hit points, materializing in unoccupied spaces within the city. Characters whose souls are released from the void are deposited in x, as is King Jhaeros (lawful good, human archmage) and Councilor Regine LaVerne (lawful neutral, tiefling noble).
  • Ghalasine Is Restored. The damage to Ghalasine is undone, and the city is made resplendent once more, as though no calamity ever threatened it. Gray ash is swept away as the structures of the city are magically rebuilt before the eyes of weeping onlookers. Castle Cinis is made whole again.
  • Jalynvyr Is Set Free. Jalynvyr is released from captivity in x and is restored to his true form at full health.
  • The Hounds Are Restored. The hell hounds Cinnabar and Sol transform back into friendly mastiffs.

If Jhaeros's heart dies or if things otherwise go wrong, Ghalasine is reduced to ashes. Her victory complete, Charmayne abandons the ruined city. The characters might encounter her again after she finds some other city to torment.

Rewards

After delivering King Jhaeros's heart to Naevys, characters are eligible to receive one or more of the following rewards at the end of the adventure:

  • Naevys's Gifts. If Charmayne's ritual is reversed and Ghalasine is restored, Naevys gives the characters a flame tongue longsword, a necklace of fireballs, and a suit of dragon scale mail from Ghalasine's treasury. She also gives the characters 2,000 gp each from her personal savings. If the characters end the ritual but fail the undo the damage it caused, Naevys awards them the money but not the magic items.
  • Jhaeros's Favor. If King Jhaeros survives and Ghalasine is restored, the king gives the characters a tract of land, perhaps even a keep and titles. The estate's exact location is up to you.

For the Golden Vault

If the characters are working for the Golden Vault, the organization rewards the characters with a rare magic item of their choice (subject to your approval) as payment for delivering Jhaeros's still-beating heart to Naevys and saving Ghalasine. The item is delivered to the characters the next day.